In simple terms, divorce alimony may be defined as spousal support. It is the financial support given by the spouse with higher income. Both parties are required to support each other during marriage but when a marriage ends, the support has to be continued in the form of alimony. Many people think that alimony is a modern phenomenon but it existed even thousands of years back.

Factors of Alimony

As far as the amount of alimony is concerned, it depends on the judge and the judge takes into account a number of factors to arrive at the amount. It is also important to mention here that the laws about divorce alimony vary from state to state which means the amount of alimony may be different in New York when compared to Texas or California. However, there are certain factors that are taken into account by the judge while determining the amount of alimony. Some of these factors include age of the parties, length of the marriage, relative income as well as gender.

Types of Divorce Alimony

There are also four different types of divorce alimony. There is the temporary alimony which is given to the lower earning spouse when the divorce has not been finalized but they are already separated. Another type of alimony is rehabilitative alimony and there is also the permanent alimony as well as the reimbursement alimony. Each of these different types of alimony is awarded on the basis of various factors at the time of divorce.

An alimony is not awarded by the judge in all divorce cases. Alimony is usually only awarded when a spouse has been financially dependent on the other for most of the marriage. It is also important to mention here that alimony and child support are different things legally. While alimony is taxable, child support is not.